


Warm me up

by Ljparis



Series: Starflowers & Scoundrels [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alderaan, Cabins, F/M, Mountains, Sexual Tension, Snow, Snowed In, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-08-28 09:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16720731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ljparis/pseuds/Ljparis
Summary: After enjoying a brisk winter hike in the mountains of Alderaan, Bail and Breha get trapped at the Antilles' family cabin during a snowstorm.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bittersnake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersnake/gifts).



> Well, bittersnake, you've inspired me. I hope you enjoy this look into the lives and romance of Bail and Breha.

Breha, princess of Alderaan, looked up when the door opened. Silhouetted against the gray evening, the snowstorm, was Bail Antilles. She stood, tugging the cloak he had wrapped over her shoulders more tightly around her shoulders.

He shook his head, snow spraying from his wet hair. "The pass is under about two meters of snow," he told her. "No one's getting through tonight." Bail hung his head for a moment, then peeked over at Breha, abashed. "Apologies, your highness. The snow wasn't expected for a few more hours. I thought we'd made it back down the mountain before the worst of it."

"It's all right," she said in a small voice. "Any sign of Cal and Peik?" 

The princess and senator had been following her security detail in their speeder, on their way back down the mountain from a winter afternoon hike, when the snow began to fall. Then fall harder. As they approached the last narrow pass on the way down, an avalanche came out of nowhere, separating the two speeders. Bail had avoided crashing into the cascading snow by making a sudden turn and speeding higher up the mountain. They were fortunate to not be too far from the Antilles' mountain cabin, though by the look of it, no one had used it in years. He'd gone out again after dropping her off to see what their options were.

He shook his head again. "They made it through but are on the other side of the avalanche. I had a comm signal with them for about five minutes. They said once the storm clears, they'll send a rescue ship up to collect us."

She nodded. "Well, I suppose that's the best we can ask for given the storm." Breha had finally managed to calm down, the deep violet color of her pulsing pulmonodes fading now to a more manageable red. Still not where she wanted her heart rate to be, but manageable at least. Under the cloak, she pressed her palm between her breasts, telling herself to calm. "I'm sure we have everything we need for a few hours here."

He began removing his outer layers, soaked now that he had left his cloak with her. "I hope you're right. I don't think any of us have been up here in quite a while." Bail bent down to remove his boots, then peeled off his socks until he was standing in front of her in a shirt that stuck to his skin and trousers that looked too wet to be comfortable.

Breha stared at him for a moment before she gave a half-squeak. "I'm sure we'll be fine," she said. The cabin was much more rustic than it was modern, and the large expanse of windows overlooking the side of the mountain and valley below left it less-than-well-insulated. 

"The best place to get warm is in the master bedroom," he said, gesturing for her to follow him. "It's built into the ridge, and warmer than everywhere else. And the fireplace in there is wood-burning, so we'll have better luck if I can't get the generator going." 

Bail led her deeper into the cabin, where it was darker without the windows, and they climbed a short staircase that opened up into a long, dark hallway. As he did, he told her the history of the cabin, that it was built by Inde Antilles, Bail's great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, and had undergone many upgrades, though not in at least a decade. He didn't even know for certain how connected to the network they'd be up here, if they needed to get a message out. "It was meant to be a retreat," he said, "and for years the family used it to remove themselves from everything else. Unfortunately, that means a lot of the conveniences we're used to aren't here."

"I'm sure that under other circumstances," Breha said gently, "it would be a lovely getaway." But between the avalanche, which flashed her back to her accident during her trials even though there had been no snow on Apenza Peak that day, the sudden separation from her security detail, and now the heated idea of being so remote and alone with Bail, she found it difficult to stay calm. Though she guessed that Bail didn't suspect she was anything besides put together and all right.

"There should be blankets, maybe a change of clothes if we're lucky, in the wardrobe. I'm going to go downstairs and see what I can do with the generator. If nothing, I'll see if there's wood for a fire."

Breha smiled at him and said she would take care things up here, and a moment later he was gone. She sighed, wrung her hands together in front of her. After a moment, she removed Bail's cloak, hung it up to dry off the side of the wardrobe. Then she opened it to find the blankets he mentioned. 

They smelled musty but when she shook them out, Breha didn't find any holes or bugs. She set the blankets in a pile on the bed and then rummaged through until she found some clothes, outdated but clean, that looked like they might fit Bail. As she was debating what to do with them, the overhead lights flickered, followed by a buzz of electricity. She imagined the air felt immediately warmer but knew that was improbable that quickly. She set the clothes on top of the blankets and then sat, gingerly, at the edge of the bed, watching the still dimly lit hallway for Bail to return.

He did a few minutes later. "There's good news and bad news," he told her, his arms filled with a stack of wood. "I got the electricity going but the heating is on another system, and that's not working. I'll build a fire and this room, at least, should be warm enough for as long as we're here. And the comms system is rebooting. It'll take any hour or so but I'll be able to get a message out."

Breha smiled. Her fingers pulled and twisted at the seams in her pants. She felt exposed. It was one thing to hike, all bundled up, and it was another to be stuck in a remote cabin without the comfort and familiarity of her usual clothes. "I didn't find anything to change into for me, but my clothes are dry. There are some things for you though."

"Will you be warm enough?" he asked.

"Once the fire's going, yes," Breha said, "I'll be fine."

Bail nodded, looked like he wanted to say something else. "Do you mind if I change first, before I get the fire going?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not. I don't want you to catch cold all wet like that. Please."

He crossed to her and picked up the clothes she'd found, then lingered for a moment in her space. He lifted a hand to cup her jaw, his thumb stroking her cool skin. "I won't be long," Bail said. He leaned down and brushed his mouth against her temple. She shivered, now not because of the cold air but because of him. When he stepped away from her, his heat gone, a chill moved through her.

There was no reason to be this nervous. It wouldn't be the first time they'd spent time together alone. His apartments on Coruscant, the royal rooms at the Alderaanian consulate there, even at the palace in Aldera they'd spent time together. It was just, usually, her security detail was nearby, or their friends, or one of her parents. Her breathing quickened, her chest turning a dark red all over again. She was working herself up for no reason, she reminded herself. There were no expectations. In fact, Bail wasn't even acting as though he might take advantage of a situation like this. 

Breha rubbed the side of her neck as she realized that she wanted him to. Or, perhaps, _she_ wanted to make sure they took advantage of the situation. That was why she was nervous. They had a few hours alone together, at least, and she didn't want to waste them. They might not have a chance like this again, not until they were married.

Right now, she didn't have long before he emerged from the 'fresher, and she moved suddenly to work off some of her many layers. She stripped down until she was left in her leggings and a long sweater, then wrapped herself in one of the blankets and sat, cross-legged, in the middle of the bed.

It felt like an eternity before Bail came back out, the pants she had found in the wardrobe too short and the shirt too loose. He left it open at the collar, and Breha had to tell herself not to stare at the triangle of his bare chest that was visible. She looked up at him and smiled. "Feeling better?"

"Almost," Bail said, then set to work getting a fire started. 

Breha watched him and gave him quiet encouragement until the fire was lit. He stood, brushed his hands off, and then turned to face her. "It'll take a while for the room to feel warmer, but it's a start. Do you want me to go see if the comms system is online?"

Breha bit the inside of her cheek, debated her answer for a half-second, before shaking her head. "I'd rather you stay here with me for a while," she admitted. "We can - warm each other until the fire gets us better situated, hmn?"

Surprise passed across Bail's face, but only for a moment before he'd moved to join her on the bed. "That's an excellent idea, princess," he rumbled, opening up his own blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders. He sat beside her.

She turned toward him, a hand on his knee. "Hi," she whispered.

A smile quirked up from the side of his mouth. "Hi."

Breha kissed him first. Her fingers curled into his open shirt, her cold touch making him hiss. She smiled and opened her mouth against his. He matched it, a strong arm wrapping around her waist to pull her in against him. She tumbled a little against him, her palm flat over his warm skin, his heart beat steady under her touch. The blanket around her shoulders slid down, but she ignored it, kept her focus on Bail's mouth against hers, his hands on her. 

He pulled back, not a lot, but enough. "I already feel warmer," he said.

She smiled. "Me too."

Bail, grinning as well, slid his hand along the side of her neck, down her collarbone, and leaned in to kiss her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt like I needed to continue it. So I am.

Breha woke slowly, chilled but comfortable. She shifted slightly, finding her leg trapped between Bail's, his strong arm secure over her hip. His cheek pressed against the top of her head just as her chin was tipped into the crook of his neck. She breathed him in, her palm open against his bare chest. She opened her eyes and leaned up on her elbow to look at him and around the dark room.

Sometime in the last few hours of sleep, the fire had died down, leaving behind glowing embers and the scent of burning wood. The air in the bedroom was chilly again, though not as cold as it had been when they arrived. If it weren't for the heat emanating from Bail and the heavy blankets spread over them both, Breha might be cold.

His hand over her hip moved, slid across her stomach. She looked at him as he woke up and smiled. "Are you cold?" he asked, voice raspy from sleep. He lifted a hand to cup her shoulder, causing a shiver to ripple through her. He disentangled himself from her, sitting up.

Breha shook her head. "Not particularly," she said, sitting as well, tugging at the heavy quilts to keep them up around her chest as she returned to snuggling up against him.

Bail smiled and moved his fingers along her collarbone. He brushed her chin and tilted her face up to his to kiss her again. Breha leaned in against him, her fingers finding his hair and tugging gently to urge him to deepen the kiss. When he pulled away, she whimpered. "I should get the fire going again," he whispered. "And probably check the comms. I don't know how long we were sleeping."

As much as she wanted to object, she didn't. She knew as well as he did that it wouldn't be great for either of them if they were interrupted while in bed together. Well, at least that depended on who did the interrupting. "I'll check the comms," she told him, leaning up to brush her mouth against his again quickly, ending the kiss with a smile. "You fix the fire."

Breha reluctantly slid away from him, leaning forward to find her discarded pants. She hurried to pull it on before getting out from under the covers. She glanced over at Bail, who was doing likewise. At the same time, they both reached for his shirt, and Breha came up successfully with it. She tugged it on and glanced over at a still shirtless Bail. She didn't think he'd be able to squeeze into her sweater.

Bail caught her by the hem of his own shirt as she came around the end of the bed. "I'm not even going to fight for that back," he said, his palms hot against her hips. "You look far better in it than I do." He bent down to kiss her again, and she moaned, lingering against him. 

"You'll be warm enough once you get the fire going," she said, patting his bare chest with her hand. "I don't think I should be walking around the cabin shirtless, do you? It would be positively indecent."

He shook his head. "Indecent enough wearing that," he said, and though he tried to kiss her again, Breha laughed and stepped away from him. 

"I'll be back," she said. She stepped into her boots and then ducked down the dark hallway, leaving Bail behind.

If not for the snowstorm, the avalanche, a night like this, just the two of them, wouldn't be possible. She was sure that her security detail were hearing it from her mother, who insisted on following courtship protocol, that they'd left any chance at all for Bail and Breha to be separated from them. In fact, she could imagine her mother cursing the weather for letting it happen. She might even accuse Breha of orchestrating the entire thing herself, once they were back down from the mountain.

Her cheeks heated as she walked down the hallway and out into the main living room, all the while thinking about just how _warm_ Bail had made her only hours before. Also how she'd made him shudder and groan her name in a way that, even now thinking about it, made her bite down hard on her lower lip. She hoped they'd still have more time before their rescue to do it all over again.

She found an outdated communications panel set up in what appeared to be a study. Bail had said that the storm had knocked out an array, but with a little fiddling between the panel and her personal communications and location device, Breha was pretty sure she could get a signal out through the secure Organa channel.

It took some effort, and she had to rewire both her device and the panel, but she finally heard the static whine of connectivity. She tapped in her clearance code then held her breath with expectation.

White noise, a quick succession of high-pitched beeps, and then - "Breha? Breha - is that you?" Her mother's voice sounded like it was in a vacuum, but it was definitely here.

"Yes, I'm here."

"Oh my _stars_ ," she said. "Are you all right? Where are you? Who's there with you?" Her mother didn't give her much of a chance to respond as she went into a monologue about her detail arriving at the palace without her and no one able to give her a straight answer and the snow getting heavier and reports of an avalanche and where in the heavens could Breha even be besides trapped under all of that snow, slowly suffocating …

"Mother," Breha said sternly, cutting her off. "You have access to my vitals. You should know that I'm alive and perfectly fine."

"Well, I don't know, Breha, a few hours ago your heart rate spiked to dangerously high levels and I was concerned -"

"That wasn't - I'm _fine_ , mama," she said quickly, cutting her mother off, trying to move past having to explain that to her mother. She didn't need to suffer through a lecture via an unstable comm network. "Senator Antilles and I are at his family's mountain cabin. We're fine. It's warm and safe and we can -"

"Transmit the coordinates. I'll send a ship to pick you both up immediately."

She glanced over, across the room and out the large windows overlooking the valley, windows that were still obscured by thick, falling snow. "It's still snowing heavily up here," Breha said. "Please don't put anyone else's lives in danger. The senator and I will be fine until the storm passes."

"Breha -"

"We'll be _fine_ ," she repeated. "I'll comm again once the storm dies down up here."

"I'm not sure -"

"I _am_ sure," Breha continued, right over top of her mother's words. "And please, if my heart rate has another spike, don't be concerned. I'm in no danger here and, in fact, will take great _pleasure_ in the time I get to spend with the senator." She heard the hitch in her mother's voice, but before she could censure her daughter, Breha spoke again. "I'll comm again in a few hours." And she cut the transmission just as her mother gasped in protest.

Breha turned the channel off and leaned forward for a moment, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and couldn't help but smile.

"Did you just imply to the queen of Alderaan that the princess and her senator were having sex in a remote cabin on the side of a mountain?" Bail's arms slide around her from behind, and he kissed the side of her neck.

She jumped a little before settling back against him, turning to kiss him properly. "No," she said, "I implied that the princess and senator of Alderaan were going to _continue_ to have sex in a remote cabin on the side of the mountain."

His laugh rumbled against her neck, her back, and he nudged her to turn around, lean against the wall. "Is that a promise?" he asked.

Breha leaned up, her lips centimeters from his. "Absolutely." She kissed him again.


End file.
